Fall 2021 PhD in Social Work!

[sadurma_z]

3 hours ago, AReelExpert said:

wow! You applied to a lot of places!!!! Keep that head up, trust in yourself and it sounds like you really took the time to apply and spend time and energy into this. Just know that rejections don’t reflect your worth!

Thank you, I sincerely appreciate all your support and feel extremely fortunate to be in such a field that values everyone's well-being and does not see each other as competitors. I am applying as an international student with an MSW from the University of Michigan. My school decided not to take a new cohort of the Ph.D. program in social work due to COVID-19. Michigan is a prestigious institution for social work education, and this decision made me insecure and disappointed.  I was scared that would apply to other schools as well. That's why I applied to a lot of schools. It was emotionally and financially draining. 

[AReelExpert]

2 minutes ago, sadurma_z said:

Thank you, I sincerely appreciate all your support and feel extremely fortunate to be in such a field that values everyone's well-being and does not see each other as competitors. I am applying as an international student with an MSW from the University of Michigan. My school decided not to take a new cohort of the Ph.D. program in social work due to COVID-19. Michigan is a prestigious institution for social work education, and this decision made me insecure and disappointed.  I was scared that would apply to other schools as well. That's why I applied to a lot of schools. It was emotionally and financially draining. 

IKR! I went to U of M too for my MSW and I was looking forward to applying there for the joint PhD social work program but my mentor form there let me know they were not taking any new PhD students in the fall and possibly spring terms due to funding so I was Highly DISAPPOINTED! Things happen for a reason and I am not letting that stop me from applying to other programs  

hoping you get to pursue your studies too!

[sadurma_z]

1 minute ago, AReelExpert said:

IKR! I went to U of M too for my MSW and I was looking forward to applying there for the joint PhD social work program but my mentor form there let me know they were not taking any new PhD students in the fall and possibly spring terms due to funding so I was Highly DISAPPOINTED! Things happen for a reason and I am not letting that stop me from applying to other programs  

hoping you get to pursue your studies too!

OMG!!! Go Blue!!! Their decision was ridiculous and not convincing for a school with 12 billion endowment funds!!!  Who was your advisor??? 

[sunluck21]

17 minutes ago, sadurma_z said:

Thank you, I sincerely appreciate all your support and feel extremely fortunate to be in such a field that values everyone's well-being and does not see each other as competitors. I am applying as an international student with an MSW from the University of Michigan. My school decided not to take a new cohort of the Ph.D. program in social work due to COVID-19. Michigan is a prestigious institution for social work education, and this decision made me insecure and disappointed.  I was scared that would apply to other schools as well. That's why I applied to a lot of schools. It was emotionally and financially draining. 

WOW Go blue!  I'm an international student and got my MSW from the University of Michigan too! 

Sending you all my best wishes. 

[sadurma_z]

4 minutes ago, sunluck21 said:

WOW Go blue!  I'm an international student and got my MSW from the University of Michigan too! 

Sending you all my best wishes. 

This is awesome, Welcome to the club lol

[Swapplicant21]

Hi everyone! New to this thread and wondering if anyone has applied to UIC for this cycle? 

[sadurma_z]

4 hours ago, Swapplicant21 said:

Hi everyone! New to this thread and wondering if anyone has applied to UIC for this cycle? 

I did!!!

[Swapplicant21]

5 minutes ago, sadurma_z said:

I did!!!
 

Have you heard anything back yet? i missed the priority deadline in dec but submitted everything this month and am antsy!! 

[sadurma_z]

8 minutes ago, Swapplicant21 said:

14 minutes ago, sadurma_z said:

I did!!!
 

Have you heard anything back yet? i missed the priority deadline in dec but submitted everything this month and am antsy!! 

I missed the priority application deadline as well and applied on Jan. 15. So, nothing yet. They sent me a fancy folder with the school's logo on it. I kept looking for an admissions letter in it but no luck lol  

Please tell me you got the same folder too. I don't know what to think about it  

Edited February 17, 2021 by sadurma_z

[Swapplicant21]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you! And omg, you must have been so nervous only to find it was just a folder ? i will have to keep my eye out for that

[sadurma_z]

4 minutes ago, Swapplicant21 said:

I will keep my fingers crossed for you! And omg, you must have been so nervous only to find it was just a folder ? i will have to keep my eye out for that

I am pretty sure it was a consolation prize ?

[smile12]

11 hours ago, AReelExpert said:

will you be accepting Columbia? 
did you apply anywhere other than U Chicago and Columbia? 

I applied to Wisconsin-Madison, BU, UIUC, and Rutgers as well. I was accepted to Wisconsin, rejected from BU, and not yet heard from the other two. I might accept Wisconsin instead of Columbia. Limited stipend (covering only 4 year and not enough for living in NY) is one of the reasons. 

[Swapplicant21]

7 hours ago, sadurma_z said:

I missed the priority application deadline as well and applied on Jan. 15. So, nothing yet. They sent me a fancy folder with the school's logo on it. I kept looking for an admissions letter in it but no luck lol  

Please tell me you got the same folder too. I don't know what to think about it  

I didn’t get the folder but i also just finished my application shortly before the deadline so i still could, it seems like a good thing, i wouldn’t worry! 

[AReelExpert]

Hey everyone, I’m wondering if you all could share what feedback you’ve received from mentors or other PhD students on what’s most important when deciding what program to attend? 
 

I appreciate all your answers thank you!

[SstenderB]

Hey all,

Anyone heard from UT Austin or have heard from the grad coordinator what the anticipated timeline looks like?

Congrats to all who have been accepted at various schools so far!

[jaayneigh]

7 hours ago, SstenderB said:

Hey all,

Anyone heard from UT Austin or have heard from the grad coordinator what the anticipated timeline looks like?

Congrats to all who have been accepted at various schools so far!

I’ve heard nothing and reached out to the grad coordinator late last week, but didn’t hear back (though, considering everything going on in Austin right now, it’s definitely understandable that I haven’t)

[harpert1]

17 hours ago, AReelExpert said:

Hey everyone, I’m wondering if you all could share what feedback you’ve received from mentors or other PhD students on what’s most important when deciding what program to attend? 
 

I appreciate all your answers thank you!

After a few conversations with my mentors and friends who are PhD students, the biggest theme that I heard was "faculty match" as the most important aspect when choosing where to go. This mentoring relationship will last even once you enter the job market and as you are becoming more established in the field and come up for promotions, etc. Also just having to spend so much time working on data collection and analysis, writing papers, attending conferences, etc. that you should be somewhere where the faculty interest closely aligns with yours and there are good vibes. The next biggest thing I heard was funding. Although stipends range from school and region, it is important to make sure that the funding is secured and that you feel you will not have to worry about finances too much. Although I really wanted to apply to UC Berkeley's program, I chose not to because I didn't want to try to live in the Bay Area making $30-something thousand a year (not that it's impossible but it jus wasn't my preference). Also, some schools provide "guaranteed funding" for four years while other schools provide it for five years, so that is also a consideration about whether someone would feel rushed trying to finish everything before funding runs out. Finally, I would consider looking at the program's strength and records. For instance: Where have recent graduates landed positions? Are these similar positions that you're interested in (i.e. mainly post-doc for TT professor or maybe most graduates are staying local to one state but you are trying to move across the country); also what are other supports such as helping to get teaching opportunities, conference workshop support, cohort diversity, etc. I would say really think hard about it as most schools have that April 15 deadline but of course if you are 100% sure you aren't going somewhere, don't forget about the folx on the waitlist who may benefit from haste!

Once I stopped typing I realized how long this response was haha. But I hope that something in here may be helpful. 

[AReelExpert]

22 minutes ago, harpert1 said:

After a few conversations with my mentors and friends who are PhD students, the biggest theme that I heard was "faculty match" as the most important aspect when choosing where to go. This mentoring relationship will last even once you enter the job market and as you are becoming more established in the field and come up for promotions, etc. Also just having to spend so much time working on data collection and analysis, writing papers, attending conferences, etc. that you should be somewhere where the faculty interest closely aligns with yours and there are good vibes. The next biggest thing I heard was funding. Although stipends range from school and region, it is important to make sure that the funding is secured and that you feel you will not have to worry about finances too much. Although I really wanted to apply to UC Berkeley's program, I chose not to because I didn't want to try to live in the Bay Area making $30-something thousand a year (not that it's impossible but it jus wasn't my preference). Also, some schools provide "guaranteed funding" for four years while other schools provide it for five years, so that is also a consideration about whether someone would feel rushed trying to finish everything before funding runs out. Finally, I would consider looking at the program's strength and records. For instance: Where have recent graduates landed positions? Are these similar positions that you're interested in (i.e. mainly post-doc for TT professor or maybe most graduates are staying local to one state but you are trying to move across the country); also what are other supports such as helping to get teaching opportunities, conference workshop support, cohort diversity, etc. I would say really think hard about it as most schools have that April 15 deadline but of course if you are 100% sure you aren't going somewhere, don't forget about the folx on the waitlist who may benefit from haste!

Once I stopped typing I realized how long this response was haha. But I hope that something in here may be helpful. 

This was extremely helpful! Thank you, it definitely echoes what I’ve heard from my mentors. 

[PatelXX]

32 minutes ago, harpert1 said:

After a few conversations with my mentors and friends who are PhD students, the biggest theme that I heard was "faculty match" as the most important aspect when choosing where to go. This mentoring relationship will last even once you enter the job market and as you are becoming more established in the field and come up for promotions, etc. Also just having to spend so much time working on data collection and analysis, writing papers, attending conferences, etc. that you should be somewhere where the faculty interest closely aligns with yours and there are good vibes. The next biggest thing I heard was funding. Although stipends range from school and region, it is important to make sure that the funding is secured and that you feel you will not have to worry about finances too much. Although I really wanted to apply to UC Berkeley's program, I chose not to because I didn't want to try to live in the Bay Area making $30-something thousand a year (not that it's impossible but it jus wasn't my preference). Also, some schools provide "guaranteed funding" for four years while other schools provide it for five years, so that is also a consideration about whether someone would feel rushed trying to finish everything before funding runs out. Finally, I would consider looking at the program's strength and records. For instance: Where have recent graduates landed positions? Are these similar positions that you're interested in (i.e. mainly post-doc for TT professor or maybe most graduates are staying local to one state but you are trying to move across the country); also what are other supports such as helping to get teaching opportunities, conference workshop support, cohort diversity, etc. I would say really think hard about it as most schools have that April 15 deadline but of course if you are 100% sure you aren't going somewhere, don't forget about the folx on the waitlist who may benefit from haste!

Once I stopped typing I realized how long this response was haha. But I hope that something in here may be helpful. 

Very much helpful! Has anyone heard from U Chicago? Shall I consider rejection now or is there any hope?

[HOP]

9 hours ago, SstenderB said:

Hey all,

Anyone heard from UT Austin or have heard from the grad coordinator what the anticipated timeline looks like?

Congrats to all who have been accepted at various schools so far!

Hello,

I heard back from UT Austin and was accepted. However, I rejected offer due to accepting another offer. Hope that opens up room for someone!

[SstenderB]

8 minutes ago, HOP said:

Hello,

I heard back from UT Austin and was accepted. However, I rejected offer due to accepting another offer. Hope that opens up room for someone!

Thank you for the update, HOP!  When did you hear back?

[HOP]

3 minutes ago, SstenderB said:

Thank you for the update, HOP!  When did you hear back?

Hi SstenderB,

I heard on 02/15.

[hopefulPHDtobe]

10 hours ago, SstenderB said:

Hey all,

Anyone heard from UT Austin or have heard from the grad coordinator what the anticipated timeline looks like?

Congrats to all who have been accepted at various schools so far!

Hi - I was accepted as well. Hope you hear back soon and wishing you luck!

[ArchieJones]

50 minutes ago, HOP said:

Hello,

I heard back from UT Austin and was accepted. However, I rejected offer due to accepting another offer. Hope that opens up room for someone!

Congrats! Where did you end up accepting?

[jaayneigh]

11 hours ago, SstenderB said:

Hey all,

Anyone heard from UT Austin or have heard from the grad coordinator what the anticipated timeline looks like?

Congrats to all who have been accepted at various schools so far!

@SstenderB seeing that other people had been accepted, I've been trying to log into UT Austin's MyStatus. It's been very slow or non-functional for me today, and I'm not sure that means anything but I'm reading into it anyway haha